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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26623288">Star Power, Baby!</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MushFund/pseuds/MushFund'>MushFund</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Criminal Case (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Brief references to alcoholism and one night stands, F/M, Murder, Reader is a detective</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 06:35:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,656</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26623288</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MushFund/pseuds/MushFund</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>While working on a case in Pacific Bay, the reader gets to meet her celebrity crush. Hijinks ensue.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dick Shakespeare x Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Star Power, Baby!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Lately I've been on a bit of a nostalgia kick, and this meant getting back into one of the games from my childhood, Criminal Case! While I understand it's a bit obscure (especially the character of Dick Shakespeare), writing for obscure men is what I do best. Thank you for reading and enjoy!</p><p>Some dialogue is taken directly from the game, which is owned by Pretty Simple. All rights go to them and I do not intend to take credit for the lines utilized. Special thanks to the YouTube videos of PitchingAce88 that allowed me to refresh my memory upon this particular case.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ever since that note showed up at the precinct, you knew the case to follow would be no ordinary one. After all, it wasn’t everyday that a wealthy socialite, Lindsay Bannister, demanded your help in protecting her life (an effort that had, unfortunately, proven to be futile - she was long since dead by the time you and your partner, one Frank Knight, arrived on the scene). Despite being amongst the stars in the glitz and glamor district that was Ivywood Hills, you tried not to fall under the tinseltown spell. As such, the absolute furthest thing from your mind was meeting one of your cinema heroes.</p><p>One of the pieces of evidence left at the scene was a cigarette case, entirely decked out in a gold facade. When dusted, it spelled out a message from the victim intended for one ‘Dick Shakespeare’. You could still remember clearly when you informed Frank, himself suiting a Columbo-esque getup, cigarette poised between his fingers.</p><p>“Dick Shakespeare?! THE Dick Shakespeare!”, the older man’s jaw dropped, “You know who he is, right, Y/N?”</p><p>“Of course I do.”, you purred, attempting to downplay your excitement, “I loved his movies as a kid.”</p><p>Truthfully, that was a bit of an understatement. You had a bit of a celebrity crush on the fictional detective extraordinaire ever since you first saw him, back when you were a teenager. It seemed unusual, even with the wide array of suspects you had interviewed in your years at the Pacific Bay Police Department, to get a chance to talk to someone you so admired. Nonetheless, it crossed your mind that he had a link to the suspect - you would have to repress your feelings and treat him like any other run of the mill potential criminal. Worse yet, a potential murderer. Life was funny that way - it had certainly provided an unusual manner of meeting a hero.</p><p>The actor was called in for questioning by yourself and Frank, to which he showed up on time (quite surprisingly), awaiting his interview with crossed hands in the sparse interrogation room. While you cringed to admit it, you had put more effort into your appearance than usual - so much so that even your partner raised an eyebrow as you strolled in for the day’s work. </p><p>“I’m debating asking him for an autograph.”, Frank admitted outside the interrogation room door, fumbling with a notepad and pen, “What do you think?”</p><p>“Frank, that’s not what we’re here for.”, you cracked a grin, playfully elbowing him, “Let’s get going on these questions, else he’ll be calling his agent.”</p><p>The pair of you entered the room, exchanging greetings with the middle-aged actor. Up close, and without any studio magic, Mr. Shakespeare looked rather… drained. His eyes were heavy-lidded, his chin stubbly, and perhaps most puzzlingly, he had a white wrap of bandages plastered across his nose. And yet, something about him was unmistakably handsome. You had always had a thing for the ‘rough-around-the-edges’ type.</p><p>“Look.”, Dick deadpanned, reddened face resting against his hand, “I woke up an hour ago with my face banged up and stinking of booze, Y/N. What’s this about?”</p><p>Okay, very rough around the edges. Yet, something about his deep, drawling tone when he said your name sent your heart aflutter. He must’ve heard of you at some point. While you remained stoic, remembering the mental note you had made yourself upon professionalism earlier, Frank seemed to have other ideas on his mind.</p><p>“Sir, may I just start by saying it’s a pleasure to meet you?”, his grin stretched inhumanly wide, “I’m a big fan of your detective movies an-”</p><p>You cleared your throat, shooting a glance at your partner.</p><p>“Right, sorry about that, Y/N. Sir, we’re here because Lindsay Bannister has been murdered.” Frank cleared his throat, smile replaced by a grimace of embarrassment. It seemed even the typically gruff man had fallen to the star power trap.</p><p>Upon hearing the latter words of that sentence, Dick shot upright, the cigarette perpetually dangling from his lip nearly dropping clean onto the table. </p><p>“What?!”, he yelped, “And I’m a suspect? I barely knew the kid!”</p><p>His denial already struck you as suspicious. As many times as you had fantasized about meeting him, this was quite far from what you had in mind.</p><p>“Were you working on the ‘Murder by Moonlight’ Movie? That’s where Lindsay was found dead.” Frank questioned, clearly quite puzzled himself by the movie star’s involvement in this sordid affair.</p><p>“No, I didn’t get a role in that movie…”, Dick’s voice trailed off in a huff momentarily, “Look, I met Lindsay a month ago at the tail end of tinseltown. Two drunks in an Ivywood bar. Is there a sadder sight? Next thing I know it’s morning. We’re in bed together with hangovers that could fill Rhine Canyon.”</p><p>You couldn’t suppress a cringe at his words. Having a one-night stand with the victim wasn’t exactly how you had pictured the idol of your youth. A slight feeling began to burn in your gut, an unusual twinge - jealousy? Guilt? You hardly wanted to think about it.</p><p>“I told her: ‘Girl, I’m old enough to be your grandfather, go find yourself a younger failure to ruin your life with.’ I didn’t see her again.”, the man paused momentarily, scowling, “That’s it. Am I free to go now?”</p><p>“Uh, yeah.”, you mumbled, taken aback by what you had just heard before regaining your composure, “Just stay in the city in case we need you for further questioning. An officer will escort you out.”</p><p>You and Frank stepped aside as the actor stood up from his seat, making his way for the door.</p><p>“Alright, thanks, Y/N, uh, Frank.”, Dick nodded at the pair of you as he stepped forth, “Good luck solving this case. It’s a real shame, what happened to Lindsay.”</p><p>Before he departed, the actor’s dark eyes met with yours, flashing a sly grin. You blushed, smiling back, quite giddily. He was certainly quite nice!</p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Days went by, and the case progressed, only getting stranger as a mysterious caller had claimed to know the murderer, requesting you and Frank to take a trip to the boardwalk. This visit yielded a few pieces of evidence, including a pile of shredded paper. While Frank had disregarded your intuition on deciding to piece it together, your hunch was right, although it caused your heart to sink. It was a seemingly innocuous movie poster at first - but a closer examination revealed it was a poster for “Murder by Moonlight” - the set of which the victim’s body was found on. Worse yet, it boasted Dick Shakespeare’s image and name - after he had told you and Frank he was entirely unaffiliated with the movie. Perhaps he wasn’t as innocent as you had, admittedly, assumed.</p><p>Your mind had drifted to the handsome actor numerous times following your brief interactions that day, and you, now quite smitten, were hesitant to think of him as capable of committing such an evil act. It seemed repulsive to think that you, a detective of many years, could have a crush on a killer. Even Frank had cringed to think that he once adored his films. Nonetheless, you attempted to control your shame as Dick was called in for another interview. Sitting in the ‘hot seat’, he looked almost nervous.</p><p>“So Dick, you been keeping secrets from Y/N.”, Frank stared the wiry man down, “We know you were working on the crime scene. Lindsay came to see you, didn’t she?”</p><p>“Hey, hey, cool it, pal!”, Dick barked back, “I didn’t ask her to come! It’s not my fault the girl died there!”</p><p>The middle-aged man sucked in a breath to compose himself before continuing, “Lindsay turned up on the film set with a bottle of gin and some limes. A dame and a drink. Who could say no? We made gimlets and she kept confessing her love for me!”, his tone turned to one of disgust, “Let’s say I drank one too many, Lindsay kept refilling my glass. Like she wanted me drunk! Then I blacked out. Last thing I remember was Lindsay’s face, she looked so sad.”</p><p>The actor seemed forlorn, to which you frowned, resisting the urge to reach out and comfort him. He went on with his story, revealing that when he had awoken, his nose was broken and Lindsay was dead. Nonetheless, he maintained his innocence. You were now quite skeptical. He had not only admitted to drinking gimlets (previous evidence had shown the killer did, too), but he was also at the scene when the victim was murdered. You had been to enough crime scenes by now to know that was suspicious. The story made sense - drinks, unrequited love - it was practically the perfect recipe for a murder of passion. </p><p>Dick slumped in his chair, a downtrodden look set upon his visage, one you had never seen before, even in his most emotional of film scenes. This was all too real. If he wasn’t guilty, it seemed he was blaming himself for her death. </p><p>“You believe me, right, Y/N?”, the actor pleaded, tired eyes meeting yours. That same old twinge fluttered in your chest.</p><p>“Look, Mr. Shakespeare, I’m keeping an open mind. This is still an ongoing investigation.”, you cleared your throat, “You’re free to go now.”</p><p>He got up in silence, eyeing you and Frank warily, as if one of you were going to suddenly spring forth and arrest him. He adjusted his hat, lit his cigarette, and slid out the door without another word.</p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>It began to seem like your luck really couldn’t catch a break on solving the Bannister murder. Cracking a case was tough enough without your partner running off with a suspect. Unfortunately, that was exactly what Frank had decided to do, leaving a younger detective, Amy, to fill in his footsteps. While Amy was certainly more than competent to assist you, this unexpected abandonment had hindered an already-muddled investigation. </p><p>As night fell, you sat at your desk, overlooking an impressively large pile of papers, rubbing your temples to clear away the stress, although this effort was futile. Perhaps it was time to head home. You’d take a look at the evidence in the morning with fresh eyes and a clear head. </p><p>Your apartment was within walking distance of the police department. Today, you had decided to take the longer way home to clear your head. Strolling about in the cool air, the darkening sky still lit up by the vibrant neon signs on the streets, it definitely eased your frazzled nerves. It was then that one particular sign caught your eye: an open bar. Okay, maybe you wouldn’t have such a clear head the next morning, but, hey, a drink would work wonders for blowing off some steam.</p><p>You slinked in, taking your seat at the bar and ordering a martini. Stirring the drink with the olive-tipped toothpick before taking a small sip, you sunk back into your chair when the odor of cigarettes and cologne wafted into your face. It struck you as familiar, and when you turned your head, you saw why.</p><p>Taking a seat next to you was none other than Dick Shakespeare. Was your life suddenly turning into a romantic comedy? It would seem so, for he had noticed your blatant look of surprise at him.</p><p>“Funny seeing you here.”, he purred, “I guess detectives need a break, too, huh?”</p><p>“I’m not supposed to be speaking to you.”, you attempted to ignore him. Your face flushed red as you knew he was eyeing you up.</p><p>“Alright, alright. So you ain’t supposed to talk to me, I get it.”, Dick sighed, “But you have to admit, it’s odd that we both show up at the same bar, same night, huh?”</p><p>“It is.”, you at last relented, “Very odd, indeed.”</p><p>Dick ordered a whisky, nursing it for a few sips. You had by now decided to be done with your drink and were beginning to get ready to leave.</p><p>“Going so soon?”, the movie star questioned, “We’ve hardly had a chance to chat.”</p><p>“You know we can’t be chatting.”, you sighed.</p><p>“Come on. I saw the way you were looking at me.”, his hand somehow found its way to your leg, “Just stay and talk. It wouldn’t hurt. Nobody has to know.”</p><p>“As charming as you may be.”, you admitted, “It’s still inappropriate. I can’t show you any favor over any of the other suspects in this investigation. For all I know, you could be the killer. I could lose my job!”</p><p>“So you don’t believe I’m innocent after all?”, his face fell noticeably to a scowl.</p><p>“I… I don’t know what to believe. I’m not saying you’re guilty.”</p><p>“Alright. I understand, it’s against protocol and all. But, look, between you and me… you’re a beautiful girl. I’d love to meet up sometime.”</p><p>You were smiling, unable to hide your happiness. The man you had admired since you were a teenager just asked you for a date! Nonetheless, you knew the harsh truth.</p><p>“As flattered as I am.”, you began in a calm tone, “And as much as I’d love to say yes, no amount of flirting is going to make it acceptable.”</p><p>“Alright, fine, playing hard to get, I like that.”, he chuckled, “Something tells me I’ll be seeing you again.”</p><p>Paying for your drink, you got up, glancing at the actor one last time. He winked and blew you a kiss. You couldn’t help but grin like an idiot all the way to your apartment.</p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>After many long nights, evidence collecting, and interviews, you and your team had made an arrest: the seemingly mild-mannered bartender Walter Fellows. It didn’t take long before he confessed, and was sentenced appropriately for his heinous act of evil. </p><p>You strolled out of the courtroom after testifying, relieved that another piece of scum was behind bars. Although the crime was solved, there was still something you knew needed to be put to rest.</p><p>Having the rest of the day free, you drove out to the ‘Murder by Moonlight’ set. Filming had commenced since the tragedy - there’s nothing like an actual homicide on set to drum up publicity, after all.</p><p>You were slightly nervous as you stepped forth onto the bustling room, filled with cameras and workers racing back and forth. You had stared into the eyes of serial killers, and yet, it was always the affairs of the heart that got your pulse going. </p><p>Your nerves only increased as you saw a familiar figure, clad in all black, signature hat and trenchcoat and cigarette dangling from his lip, sitting in a corner and reviewing some lines. He must have seen you approach, as he lifted his head and greeted you with a knee-weakening grin.</p><p>“I knew I’d see you again.”, Dick got up, pulling you in for a hug, which you happily obliged, “What’s brought you around here? I can only hope it’s not illegal this time around.”</p><p>“I just wanted to see if your offer was still up.”, your face reddened.</p><p>“Now that you know I’m not a homicidal maniac? I told you I was innocent all this time, baby.”</p><p>“I had a feeling you were.”, you pressed a kiss to his cheek.</p><p>“Hey, you did what you had to do. I never thought I’d date a real detective! Maybe you can teach me a thing or two, y'know, for realism.”, he chuckled, “How about we get some lunch, soon as I cut this scene?”</p><p>You nodded, about to pinch yourself. This seemed too dream-like to be real. You had a date with your celebrity crush! Dick smiled at you as he walked onto the scene, as the cameras got rolling. You could hardly wait for what was to come. Looks like tinseltown had gotten you in its grasp after all. Life sure was funny that way.</p>
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